DIY House or Small Building Demolition
Demolition of a building or house can be a pricey job when hiring a company to do it. House demolition or building demolition may be a task you can take on yourself which would cut costs drastically.
Before beginning demolition of a building or a house make sure you do these things first:
1. Obtain a permit
Most cities require a permit before demolition of any structure. Make sure you contact your city hall and have the permit ready before any work commences. If you fail to do so the fines can be high.
2. Check for hazardous materials
Depending on the age of the house or building, demolition must not begin before knowing exactly what types of materials are being demolished. Have the structure inspected by a professional. Hazardous materials such as asbestos or an oil tank will be extra money to be hauled away.
3. Know what to expect in terms of budget
House demolition or building demolition is costly but will be cheaper if you do it yourself. Costs include, inspection for hazardous materials, gas and water line shut off and disconnect, permits, excavator rental, waste bin rentals and waste removal. You may need to hire an operator for your excavator rental if you are not confident to do it yourself. Or you can take a safety course on how to operate an excavator. These of course would be extra costs for your demolition project.
4. Check with your utility companies
Before your house demolition or building demolition make sure you know where your gas and water lines are and that they have been disconnected properly by the utility company or fire department. This will avoid disaster and further costs if it is not done properly.
5. Notify your mortgage lender
Make sure there are no liens on your house or building that you are tearing down. Your mortgage is attached to both the structure and the land so you will need permission for house or building demolition before doing so.
6. Rent an excavator
There are many different models to choose from when looking to rent an excavator for a house or small building demolition. Make sure you do your homework on the digging depth, reach and power of the machine. A mini excavator such as the John Deere 27D may work for your small house demolition. The John Deere 35D or John Deere 50D mini excavator rental may be more suitable if the job requires more power and a larger reach and digging depth.
If you have a larger demolition project, you may need to rent an excavator like the Komatsu PC228 USLC, or the Komatsu PC200 LC. To remove the rubbish, you could also rent a track loader or skid steer to transport the piles of debris into the trash bins. Make sure you have experience before controlling an excavator, mini excavator, skid steer, or track loader. Depending on which machine you choose you must know what you are doing before your house demolition. If you are not confident then you should hire an operator.
7. Trash bin rentals
You need to plan where to put the rubble of the house or building demolition after its finished. Look for somewhere you can rent a trash bin and make sure they dispose of the debris properly depending on whether you have hazardous materials in the structure or not.
8. Remove all valuables from the home or building
Make sure anything valuable is removed before the house or building demolition.
Have fun tearing it to shreds!
